New Surgery For Acid Reflux Sufferers

(CBS)  One out of 10 Americans has heartburn on a regular basis. For many, the cause of the problem is gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), commonly known as acid reflux.

Now doctors at Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, Colo., are doing a new procedure that corrects the problem in a minimally invasive way, reports CBS Station KCNC correspondent Dr. Dave Hnida.

"It's really exciting technology," said general surgeon Dr. Reginald Bell.

Esophyx is a new device that allows doctors to fix the problem that causes acid reflux and rebuild the valve between the stomach and the diaphragm by going through the esophagus.

"Previously, we've had to do it surgically with incisions in the abdomen," said Bell.

It was an invasive surgery that required extended recovery. Now doctors say they can reduce recovery times and completely fix the problem, so many patients can come off their acid reflux medications.

Patient Dick Gordon rarely suffers from heartburn, but his acid reflux aggravated his asthma and caused other issues. "Sometimes I have this full feeling. You feel like something is going on in there," he said.

"The reflux has caused erosion of my voice box, too, so I tend to have a bit of a foggy voice," he added.

Gordon is hoping the Esophyx procedure will ease his chronic cough and asthma flare-ups. And he was a perfect candidate for the surgery because the damage to his esophagus was not extensive. Dr. Bell was able to rebuild the valve without any problems.

This procedure is designed for people in the early stages of acid reflux, allowing more patients to get the problem fixed early on.

[jonesan8717]

To: htpwwwnews

I've been suffering for little over 2 years and I feel your pain. I too would like to know more and will be talking to my doctor about this very soon.

[httpwwwnews]

This isn''t about heartburn, that nasty burning sensation...it''s not about what you can take to stop it. It''s about a lot more serious situation.

Reflux is about waking up as soon as your body relaxes, the stomach valve opening, stomach acid and or food coming up your throat. You breathe it in while asleep, wake up choking, coughing and coughing up burning fluid, gagging on it, vomiting the stomach acid sometimes, stumbling to the bathroom to rinse your mouth to get it out and chewing antacids to stop the burn in your throat. The next day you have asthma all day from your lung tissue or air pipe being burned. It''s about having to take a proton pump inhibitor religiously and worrying if it is leaching the calcium from your bones, sleeping with the head of your bed elevated, on two pillows, no spicy foods, no eating for 4 hours before bedtime, no foods that relax your stomach valve; like ice cream or milk products, never over-eating, wearing loose waisted pants, on and on...you catch the point?

This operation may be a hope for people who SUFFER from GERD. I would like to know more about it.

[robert7562]

Posted by JillyJean2
I agree, everyones body is a bit different from anyone elses, and I did point out that you should chack with your doc before using anything. I did not mean to present baking soda as a cure all. It does work for me however. I am definately not an "overeater" (barely 165lbs) and baking soda shouldn''t be used for 3-4 hours after eating, your body does need the acid to digest. I only meant to present it as an option to more expensive options that do the same thing, which, as I said, you need to ask your doc about. I will pose this question: what difference is it to your body if you use an H2 blocker to stop acid production as opposed to neutralizing it? If you stop acid production before it has a chance to do its part in digestion, you have defeated the very purpose you pointed out. BTW, my over enthusiasm (yes, I know I can be overzealous) about this is due to my total disgust with the medical profession, including drug companies, that seem mostly concerned with finding new (and sometimes needless) ways to make money. It is sad that so many truly good meds and procedures are tainted by the BS.

[jillyjean2]

Baking soda doesn''t do the same thing as H2 blockers... you know prilosec and other prescription antacids. What an H2 blocker does is blocks the production of acid. Taking baking soda which chemically changes it to more base might actually make the GERD worse because the body wants the acid to digest meats and start emulsifying fats. Most homeopathic docs get their patients to take a little bit of acid, like a tablespoon full of saurkraut juice or some raw apple cider vinegar about half an hour before eating. Then the body won''t over produce making acid and thus GERD. Also overeating will make GERD much worse. We do have a nation of over eaters. The obesity rate was like 45% last I knew. It''s probably worse by now. The world should not have to be on expensive precription drugs to live a normal life. What did they do before prilosec? Sometimes, the hearburn feeling is actually gas pains and taking simethicone (gasX) works better than either prilosec or baking soda and is easier on the body. Taking baking soda all the time may make GERD much worse in the long run by making the body produce more and more acid. Find what works for your own body, try different things ''til you find what works.

[whitemale08]

You don''t need sugery; you need to stop eating processed synthetic food.

It''s amazing how BIG FOOD Companies have created a perpetual market for themselves by hiring scientists/eugenists to design ''edible synthetics'' to supplement and in some cases replace real food products.

If you Google half these so-called ''ingredients'' in these products you will find that most of the preservatives and additives are derived from petroleum waste by-products normally used to make plastic.

Our bodies were not created to digest plastic so therefore all of the ''acid reflux'' ,farting, indigestion, psoriasis, and other ailments are simply side-effects from a synthetic or plastic diet.

If we eat organic as much as possible and reject processed food we won''t have these problems and needs for surgery.

Read the label folks...

If it has more then natural ingredients and reads words that you cannot even pronounce then it''s probably plastic synthetics.

[brainteaser2]

Does anyone have a $ price on the esophyx procedure. No matter how good a procedure maybe it is worthless if its considered experimental = declined by insurance or exorbitantly expensive and thus unreachable by the average joe out there with gerd.

[robert7562]

Anytime anyone suffers from reflux they should first find the cause. I don''t know if it would work in the case of an ulcer or a hiatal hernia (thx Barbara). I repeat, find the cause first. However, in my case, as in many, it is a result of a "simple" ph imbalance. Another post dismisses me by saying that baking soda alters your ph, the problem with what the "doctor" posted is ANYTHING that reduces acid is changing your ph. Baking soda is neutral, not alkiline or acidic. It only BALANCES your ph, which is the same thing the meds do. (maybe the doc has stock in the drug companies) If your reflux is not a result of an underlying problem (ulcer, hernia,etc) there is NO point in paying more than you need to in order to get relief. It could not hurt one bit to ask your doc if baking soda would be ok to use, even for an ulcer or hiatal hernia, if it is not good, you have lost nothing, but if it is ok to use, you will save money, time, and the side effects of the other drugs and/or surgery.

[barbaraf4]

Posted by robert7562
~~~
I have a hiatal hernia - it has been with me for years. I have a choice: take my daily Prilosec (after all these years, still under doctor''s management) or live on Vanilla Wafer cookies, which is about all I can eat otherwise.

I have two doctors who disagree about the Prilosec treatment (has to do with vitamin B12 absorption). The doctor who disagrees does not have to live in my body, so I go with the quality of life aspect.

Ultimately, we make our own (hopefully, informed) choices.

[robert7562]

DR B
With all due respect, and I see you are aware of my personal feelings, I have been thru the system and have inquired more than one doc about this. I didn''t pretend to be a doc in the post, and even pointed out the sodioum factor, which I think you, as a professional, should have addressed for the others that may read this. Of course ANYTHING that attempts to reduce reflux will alter your ph, it IS acid, after all. And, I agree, anyone should get (more than one) docs opinion on the use of baking soda, or anything else for any reason, for that matter. But how would a persons total bodies ph be pemanately altered if one continues to get reflux?? I still get reflux, it''s that I chose baking soda over roliads, nexium, ..... etc. Are these, both script and otc (over the counter, for those who don''t know) any diff as far as ph altering??????????

[drbsmith]

Robert7562: I''m one of those overpaid doctors that you seem to have a problem with. I would like you to know that baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)can alter the acid-base balance in your body and lead to serious illness. Do yourselves a favor and spend the money before you kill yourselves with all that "medical knowledge" floating around in here.